Bernie Sanders promised to defeat the 'ruling class whose greed is destroying our nation' and an expand the nation's entitlement system today in a seminal speech detailing his vision for a 'political revolution.'

These are not 'radical' ideas, he said throughout his lengthy remarks, in which he promoted free college tuition, healthcare, paid family leave, an increase in the minimum wage, higher taxes on the wealthy and stricter regulations on Wall Street and touted the social welfare programs enacted by Franklin Delano Roosevelt as the 'fabric of our nation.'

'Democratic socialism means that we must reform a political system that is corrupt, that we must create an economy that works for all, not just the very wealthy,' he declared.

Two thirds of the way though his prepared remarks Sanders went off course and knocked Donald Trump and other Republicans for injecting 'racism' into the political discourse.

And he went into greater detail about his foreign policy platform, an apparent response to criticisms that he was unprepared to talk about it during last Saturday's Democratic debate.

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Bernie Sanders promised a defeat of the 'ruling class whose greed is destroying our nation' and transformation and expansion of the nation's entitlement system today in a seminal speech detailing his vision for a 'political revolution'

Two thirds of the way though his prepared remarks Sanders went off course and knocked Donald Trump and other Republicans for injecting 'racism' into the political discourse during his speech at Georgetown

The long-promised speech explaining his democratic socialist views began with the premise that the United States is in desperate need of a revolutionary leader, one it has not seen the likes of since FDR, in order to climb out of the economic and societal rut its dug itself into.

'Against the ferocious opposition of the ruling class of his day, people he called the economic royalists, Roosevelt implemented a series of programs that put millions of Americans back to work, took them out of dire poverty and restored their faith in government,' Sanders said.

The Great Depression-era president 'redefined the relationship of the federal government to the people of our nation. He combated cynicism, fear and despair. He reinvigorated democracy. He transformed our country.

'And that is exactly what we have to do today,' Sanders said. 'And, by the way, almost everything he proposed, almost every program, every idea he introduced, was called “socialist.” I thought I would mention that just in passing.'

Social Security was seen as 'socialist,' Sanders recalled. 'The concept of the “minimum wage”...was seen as a radical intrusion into the marketplace and was described as “socialist.”' '

'Unemployment insurance...abolishing child labor...the 40-hour work week, collective bargaining...strong banking regulations, deposit insurance, and job programs that put millions of people to work were all described, in one way or another, as “socialist.”' he said.

Bernie Sanders reiterated his campaign theme again today at Georgetown University. 'The very rich get much richer. Almost everyone else gets poorer,' Sanders told students

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'Yet, as you all know, all of these programs and many more have become the fabric of our nation and in fact the foundation of our middle class.'

Medicare, Medicaid, which were instituted as part of President Lyndon Johnson's Great Society in the 1960s, were also seen as socialist, he said.

'Once again we had right wing forces describe these programs as socialistic and a threat to the American way of life.'

Today 'tens of millions of American families continue today to lack the basic necessities of life, while millions more struggle every day to provide a minimal standard of living for their families,' he said. 'I hope none of you will turn your back on that reality.'

Sanders said that 'for the last 40 years, under Republican leadership and Democratic leadership,' the middle class had declined and 'faith in our political system is now extremely low.'

'The very rich get much richer. Almost everyone else gets poorer,' he said. 'Super PACs funded by billionaires buy elections.'

The Vermont senator is funding his campaign almost entirely with grassroots donations. He rarely holds fundraisers and has scorned the Super PACS funding his competitors' bids.

'If we are serious' about bringing about the kind of metamorphoses that FDR did in the '30s, he said, 'we need to develop a political movement which, once again, is prepared to take on and defeat a ruling class whose greed is destroying our nation.'

Students and others lineup in the rain on the lawn of a Georgetown University facility in in Washington, in hopes of hearing the Democratic presidential candidate speak about the meaning of democratic socialism

Sanders said that over the last 30 years, 'there has been a massive redistribution of wealth – problem is, it has gone in the wrong direction...trillions of dollars flow from the middle class to the top one-tenth of 1 percent.'

People in America are 'angry' he said, because they are working 'terribly hard' and 'earning less.'

Meanwhile, millions of Americans are out of work, incarcerated, in poverty, have healthcare but can't afford to go to the doctor because of high deductibles or buy medicine because of the skyrocketing cost of pharmaceuticals and are being silenced in the political process.

'A handful of super-wealthy campaign contributors have enormous influence, he said, 'while their lobbyists determine much of what goes on in Congress.'

For him, Sanders said democratic socialism 'builds on what Franklin Delano Roosevelt said when he fought for guaranteed economic rights for all Americans. And it builds on what Martin Luther King, Jr. said in 1968 when he stated,“This country has socialism for the rich, and rugged individualism for the poor.” '

It 'builds on the success of many other countries around the world that have done a far better job than we have in protecting the needs of their working families, their elderly citizens, their children, the sick and the poor,' he declared.

'Health care should be a right of all people, not a privilege,' he said, earning thunderous applause form the 700 students seated in the Georgetown University hall, most of whom waited hours in the rain to see the Democratic presidential candidate speak.

He earned snaps and claps again several minutes later when he brought up the nation's higher education system and said, a 'public education must today allow every person in this country, who has the ability, the qualifications and the desire, the right to go to a public colleges or university tuition free.'

Public education was an example that Bernie Sanders used to make 'socialist' sound like a less dangerous term before an audience of college students at Georgetown University

'Is this a radical socialist idea? I don’t think so,' he said. It exists today in many countries around the world. And In fact, used to exist in the United States, he said, citing the University of California's university system.

Georgetown University where Sanders spoke today is one of the most expensive higher education institutions in America, with a $67,557 base tuition. It is a private university, but Sanders said his reforms would still help the students here because they include an expansion of Pell Grants and student work programs

Winding up his explanation of his political ideology, 'So the next time you hear me attacked as a socialist, like tomorrow, remember this: I don’t believe government should take over...the grocery store down the street, or own the means of production.

'But I do believe that the middle class and the working families of this country who produce the wealth of this country deserve a decent standard of living…. I believe in private companies that thrive and invest and grow in America, companies that create jobs here, rather than that companies' that are 'exploiting' workers abroad in order to avoid higher wages.

He said, 'I don’t believe in special treatment for the top 1%, but I do believe in equal treatment for African-Americans who are right to proclaim the moral principle that Black Lives Matter.'

That line also earned loud applause from the mostly white student body of the Jesuit University.

'I despise appeals to nativism and prejudice, a lot of which we have been hearing in recent months, and I do proudly believe in immigration reform that gives Hispanics and others a pathway to citizenship and a better life,' he said.

'People can have honest disagreements about immigration or about anything else, he said, 'but people should not be using the political process to inject racism into the debate.'

Sanders said 'Donald Trump and others' talking about kicking out Latinos, 'if they want to open that door, our job is to shut that door.'

Georgetown University where Sanders spoke today is one of the most expensive higher education institutions in America, with a $67,557 base tuition, but Sanders said his reforms would still help the students here because they include an expansion of Pell Grants and student work programs

The latter portion of the senator's statement was drowned out by cheering. When it died down, he picked theme back up and said, 'This country has gone too far, too many people have suffered and too many people have died for us to continue hearing racist words coming from political leaders.'

Later, in his remarks Sanders shifted to foreign policy and the fight against terrorists abroad.

The United States must work toward decimating ISIS and seek to 'prevent fanatical extremist ideologies from flourishing,' he said. 'But we cannot – and should not – do it alone.'

'Our response must begin with an understanding of past mistakes and missteps in our previous approaches to foreign policy,' he said.

That begins with an 'acknowledgment that unilateral military action should be a last resort, not a first resort, and that ill-conceived military decisions, such as the invasion of Iraq, can wreak far-reaching devastation and destabilization over regions for decades.'

Sanders said in a question and answer period afterward that he is not a pacifist - he voted to go to war with Afghanistan and go after Osama bin Laden - but he does not think the U.S. should have invaded Iraq.

'I am not running to pursue reckless adventures abroad, but to rebuild America’s strength at home,' he said during his speech. 'I will never hesitate to defend this nation, but I will never send our sons and daughters to war under false pretense or pretenses about dubious battles with no end in sight.'

He did not mention his main Democratic opponent in the speech, Hillary Clinton, though the section was meant to be a juxtaposition to a foreign policy address she gave this morning in New York.

In the talk that followed the speech, during which Sanders addressed students' questions, he also reasserted his claim that climate change is a 'major, major inducement to international conflict' and terrorism.

When the planet warms more, there will be a 'competition for limited national resources' in poor countries, he said.

For example, 'right now in Syria as a result of a sustained drought' people have left the rural areas. he said, and flooded into the cities, contributing to the 'massive instability in Syria.'